27 Desember 2010

AdvoCare V100 Independence bowl keys

Here are three keys for Georgia Tech in this afternoon's AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl:

Play disciplined: The Yellow Jackets have to eliminate the turnovers and penalties, and play disciplined on defense. Georgia Tech has lost the ball 23 times this year and had 21 takeaways. It's losing 55 yards per game in penalties. And it has to stop the run against the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense. It’s going to have to start up front, but everyone has a specific role when defending a triple-option team. Georgia Tech opponents have converted almost 40 percent of their third downs.

Turn Anthony Allen loose: It’s his final audition for the NFL, and if he picked up where he left off in the regular season, it should be a good one. Air Force is even worse than Georgia Tech at rushing defense, ranking No. 100 in the country and allowing almost 200 yards per game. Allen rushed for a total of 331 yards in his final two regular-season games. He ranks second in the ACC in rushing, and has accumulated the eighth-most single-season rushing yards (1,225) in school history.

Convert in the red zone. Georgia Tech has been inside opponents' 20-yard line 52 times this year and has come away with only 26 rushing touchdowns (and four passing). Air Force has one of the more generous red zone defenses in the country, and the Jackets will have to take advantage of it.